US-Korea alliance to change under Lee Jae-myung

The June 3 victory of Democratic Party of Korea (DP) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung provides South Korea with an opportunity to turn the page on six months of political dysfunction.

At its core, the election was a referendum on former President Yoon Suk Yeol as well as the People Power Party (PPP), a segment of which tried to justify Yoon’s failed attempt at martial law last December.

While foreign policy issues played only a small role during the snap election, the emergence of a new South Korean government has the potential to impact the U.S.-South Korea alliance in a number of ways. Although the alliance will certainly remain intact, Washington and Seoul won’t be as in-synch as they were during Yoon’s tenure.

Read at Asia Times

Author

Daniel
DePetris

Fellow

Defense Priorities